Inside The Wizards

Wizards Should Trade for Young Pacers Forward

The Washington Wizards could trade for Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) shoots the ball while Memphis Grizzlies center Jay Huff (30) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) shoots the ball while Memphis Grizzlies center Jay Huff (30) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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It hasn't even been 18 months since the Washington Wizards traded the draft rights to Jarace Walker to the Indiana Pacers for the No. 7 overall pick, which the team chose to select French forward Bilal Coulibaly.

However, Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes it's time for the Wizards to invest into Walker, suggesting a trade between them and the Pacers.

"Walker has yet to find a role with the Pacers, who can't really wait around for last year's lottery pick to figure things out. They're trying to repeat last year's run to the Eastern Conference Finals with an already expensive and vet-laden roster. Washington, meanwhile, could happily wait years for the intriguing combo forward to settle in as, theoretically, a facilitating hub on offense who can guard multiple positions on the other end," Hughes writes.

Walker, 21, played in just 33 games for the Pacers in his rookie year. He was expected to be a strong figure in the team's frontcourt plans of the future, but those went somewhat out the window when the Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors and signed him to a subsequent extension in the offseason.

This season, Walker has played in all six games so far for the Pacers, but he has only managed to log nine minutes per game.

If the Pacers want to be buyers at this year's trade deadline, Walker should be on his way out of the door. He's the best tradable prospect the Pacers have at the moment and the Wizards would be an ideal destination given the team's current state of affairs.

If the Pacers wanted to upgrade their forward spot, Kyle Kuzma would be an ideal option, and Walker (along with some future draft capital) would be the asking price for the Wizards to make the move.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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